Look, Listen, Kneel, Pray - Don't think, just do what I say!

Most of my students get straight "A's" on their spelling tests, yet fill their other test papers with spelling errors. How well we've taught our children to memorize everything and understand nothing. Look, Listen, Kneel, Pray - Don't think, just do what I say! Real learning comes from being involved in the mystery and exploration of life (letting Sofia see, feel, and play with a science kit).

So I thought putting these bloopers on their website might get them to think through humor. Now it seems I've turned it into a potential project that could very well get them to think at much higher levels, increase their confidence much more than a meaningless "A",

.....and PULL their genius out and develop it versus trying to PUSH "learning" into their heads.

Although neither they nor I need one more thing added to our plate, what if this is the project that makes the difference to just one......or just two or three, or more? What if it teaches us how to incorporate science, math, reading, and history in a meaningful way?

What if you and I apply this concept to our children? Instead of pushing them, how can we pull from them naturally?

What if we apply it to ourselves? Making time to pursue projects and ideas that naturally interest us could lead to the discovery of genius we didn't even know we had. And who cares if we fail (as we inevitably will at first)? The point of life is to live it, not just go about it. (My children are my role models)

Here's the student post:


Have fun figuring out why these bloopers are funny.......

I have an idea. What if we start collecting our own mistakes and start recording them? If we have enough by the end of the year we can write a mini-book and self-publish it.

We'll need people with varying talents:
- those who are organized enough to collect and record unintentional mistakes,

- some imaginative people to see in their minds what pictures would be funny,

- those with artistic intelligence to draw these pictures and a great cover,

- computer-savvy people who know how or want to learn how to use programs like Paint Shop,

- some willing to learn how to publish a book....etc.

- more computer-savvy Captain Jack Sparrow's to upload documents and images (now do you understand why Captain Jack used "savvy" in the Pirates movies?)

- those with interpersonal intelligence to get everyone working together effectively (which makes you VERY valuable or "marketable" in life after school!)

Oh, and others good enough at spelling to actually realize errors have been made,
and/or a good enough command of our language to see that how words/sentences have been used have taken on an unintentional hilarity.

DREAM BIG! ~ Serena and Summer from last year's class did most of the illustrations for my book, Ten Little Numbers Jumping on the Bed (click on the title to see the book - it's free to download).

These are students who roamed the same room as you are now who are now forever part of a published book. What talents do you have or could have that you can offer to this project?

DO BIG! ~ This is an extra project, meaning you have to be competent enough in the 5th grade benchmarks to free yourself to work on this. Or even better.........be intelligent enough to figure out how to incorporate the benchmarks into the working on this book (intra personal intelligence). Wouldn't that be fun?


What if you could?

Christian Bulletin Bloopers

· Ushers will eat latecomers.

· She sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again," giving much pleasure to the congregation.

· The patient is having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

· Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell " to someone who doesn't care much about you.

· A letter to the men’s fellowship reads: "All members are requested to bring their wives and one other covered dish to the annual banquet."

And my personal favorite.......

· Sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. Sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.

~ Learning and Laughter should occur at the same time as often as possible ~